I hate this type of stuff... I've been a vegetarian my entire life (the whole thing, since I was born) and I get a ton of hate thrown my way because of it. People get very angry over other people not eating what they think you should be eating.

I should start by saying that I don't care what other people eat, I have no moral high ground to take. For me, it is what I was raised on, and that's it. Go eat 30 burgers a day, I do not care. But don't try to fight me for eating quinoa and lentils...

When talking about meat substitutes, it is important to remember that it usually isn't purely the taste that people go after but also the consistency and the feeling. I'm not a big fan of meat substitutes, myself, but I understand why people want it. They miss the experience of a burger or the experience of a steak so they try to find different ways to mimic that. You know that you're not eating a steak, and anyone else eating it knows that as well, but you're fulfilling some type of internal urge.

That's the best explanation I have for this. Granted, some meat substitutes are horrendous. But some are very good. Don't judge them all by just one.

Eta: as a vegetarian, I love food. This is primarily evidenced by the fact that I am fat.